Thursday, 16 December 2010

Monday, 6 December 2010

We have more great UK hip-hop for you today, with UK emcee Chuks Agu dropping his new mixtape "Labour Of Love Part I: The Passion Project" on his website.

His style is distinctly rooted in british culture and the beats transform and shapeshift from the modern 808's and sparse basslines of "Holy Ghost" to the horns and soulful snaps on "You Can Do it Too".

Another interesting and divisive aspect of Chuks, and the mixtape, is that towards the end (and intermittently throughout the mixtape) he speaks of christian values and how they affect his life. This adds an extra layer of emotional attachment to the lyrics, lending him a chance to tackle more introspective content.

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

From one UK heavyweight to another, M9 has released a mixtape which rivals ANYTHING (yes, even the incredible Isis Papers Mixtape that his Kush cohort Cyrus Malachi released earlier in the year!) that has came from our shores this year, and thanks to Hypedog its here for your pleasure! The link itself is from M9's own website, and the mixtape is released to build hype and anticipation for his forthcoming solo LP, which is bound to be an absolute gem of an album.

Until that arrives, enjoy this journey into the dark side of hip-hop, with one of UK hip-hop's most potent lyrical duos trading verses on the regular...Cyrus in the passenger seat and Melanin 9 up front in the driver's seat. Strap your seatbelt in for the ride because they're going in cold.

Iron Braydz, one of the true UK underground hip-hop heavyweights, has made a bold move to re-release his album from earlier this year "Devil May Cry" for free on his website. The album came out to huge appraisal, even getting plaudits from Wu-Tang Clan's RZA for its hard-hitting and edgy sound.

In fact, the plaudits are not surprisingly considering the Wu-esque soundscapes that bump and bounce through Devil may Cry from start to finish. The lyrics are cold, the beats are colder, and the album works incredibly as a single piece of art.

Even the guest emcees are picked out spectacularly, with M9 & Cyrus Malachi (both members of Orphans of Kush...a UK group who had one of the best albums of 2009) and US Stones Throw emcee Guilty Simpson all turning in big verses.

The whole album was executive produced and overseen by Braydz himself and mastered by top producer Baby J, and they handpicked beats from Braydz, Lewis Parker, Chemo, Morph Beats & Proppa.

So, go back to the turn of the year and relive a modern day classic, remembering how powerful hip-hop can be when its done right. Unfortunately we've not had a huge amount to shout about in the UK underground hip-hop scene this year in terms of great releases (save for a few standouts), but this is an example of what we can do. Enjoy every minute.

To download, either go to www.ironbraydz.com or click on the album title below (same link either way) and it'll take you direct to the download section on the official website, complete with a video for "Golden Legacy". Just enter your email address and it'll send the download link straight to you!

Friday, 19 November 2010

Inspiration comes from many different places, whether it be from your peers, your family, your friends, or your idols. My inspiration for the past few days has came from a low-key EP from a 22-year old producer from The Bay Area, California by the name of Droop-E (for those of you not in the know, he is Bay Area legend E-40's son).

The guy has been producing bangers since he was 14/15, and was a product of the hyphy movement that swallowed and spat out rap music for a strong couple year period and created some of the most innovative (yet sadly also some of the most ignorant) rap music the US have made in the last decade.

Droop-E's style has evolved since, and on his new EP "BLVCK Diamond Life", he found his inspiration.

Sade.

The EP sees Droop-E sampled from her/their seminal album Diamond Life for 8 tracks of hip-hop beauty. Laidback basslines, horn sections, airy synths, mellow vocals, all layered superbly and topped off with some of the Bay Area's finest. Its one of the best breakthrough EPs of the year, and its a massive evolution in sound for the kid who has already stepped out of his father's shadow to excel on his own.

Thursday, 11 November 2010

Friday, 29 October 2010

...They've been a lot more sparse of late on this blog...but don't worry, its still going and we're still pumping them out. This is nothing more than a quick message and reminder that we have a sister blog at http://the13thduke.tumblr.com which is updated much more regularly with a lot larger scope of videos and music posted. Its essentially more for new music of all types in video form for everyone to sample the best out.

However, don't take his as any evidence Northern Author is slowing down though...we're still very much at large and in charge.

Tuesday, 26 October 2010

Finally the second instalment of Sway's Delivery mixtape series has dropped on his website www.sway.uk.com and it just heightens the anticipation for his forthcoming 2011 full-length official album "The Deliverance".

Its the usual high-grade mix of lyrics, lyrics and more lyrics. Which is the ONLY blueprint any emcee should follow (yet sadly no-one does). Is he the best rapper in the UK right now? There certainly arent many contenders who could spar with him on any shore for pure lyrical ability and flow. I certainly wouldnt disagree with him claiming #1.

Anyway, here's the link and tracklist....enjoy yet another GREAT mixtape from Dcypha Productions.

Monday, 30 August 2010

Here we are with a brand new series of posts I'll be constructing over the next few months, maybe even longer.

There are albums in hip-hop culture that are regarded as classics of the genre by everyone. Certified classics that have changed the face of the culture through thier existence, either through sheer quality, through controversy and through how it resonates with the fans. Often these albums are untouchable. Think "It Takes A Nation Of Millions..." by Public Enemy or "The Low End Theory" by A Tribe Called Quest.

However, there are also albums that every single hip-hop fan has that they love, which aren't necessarily seen as classics by the wider public. Albums that weren't recieved very well by critics but that certain fans connected with on a personal level at the time and have somehow changed their life or perspective. I have many of these albums.

I understand some of these albums aren't considered classics by most, if any people, but theyre albums which have been important to me in my life. These are my Personal Classics.

Personal Classic #1: Busta Rhymes – Genesis (2001)

As far as hip-hop artists go, Busta Rhymes has always held a special place in my heart since I was a kid. In fact, the first EVER album of any kind that I bought with my own money was “When Disaster Strikes” in 1997 when I was 11 years old. I had heard “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” on MTV at some point, and right at that very moment, it was the best song I’d ever heard.

I loved that entire album so much that the second album I bought was Busta’s 1996 album “The Coming” for a cut-price. I played them both to death throughout my early early teen years. So even though before this, I had heard and liked famous carting rap songs that did well in the UK, as an 11 year old, Busta Rhymes’ music was essentially my way in and starting point with hiphop, and thankfully it has largely governed my life ever since.

I spent huge amounts of time going back to ‘88-‘94 era rap music in my teens, so while my mates were listening to trance bollocks like Eiffel 65, Indie music like Oasis and the occasional Limp Bizkit album, I was listening to Organized Konfusion on my huge headphones that engulfed my whole skull. This fascination STARTED with Busta Rhymes.

So, history lesson over and background in place, the stage was set for me, waiting with baited breath for pretty much any Busta Rhymes LP. I liked “Extinction Level Event”, I loved “Anarchy”, then came Genesis...

I was 15 years old going on 16 when it came out, the top year of comprehensive school, and from listening to Tim Westwood’s show on Radio 1 late Friday nights (back when it was great and he was effectively the CNN and News at Ten for everything hip-hop related in England) I had heard a lot of tracks that were to be on the album.

“Break Ya Neck” had already blew me away, with Busta on his fast flow and Dre producing his best beat since he’d released “Chronic 2001”. The Neptunes were behind two other tracks to be on the LP in “What It Is”, a track previously on the Violator 2.0 compilation, and “As I Come Back”, a synth-rap song driven by a resung element of Busta’s classic verse on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario” as the chorus. These were the songs Westwood absolutely rinsed in the weeks leading up to the album’s release in late 2001.

Then it dropped...

I bought the album literally on the day it came out, and listened to it on my Sony Discman (yeah baby!) on the bus on the way home from Newcastle. At full blast, from the “Intro” beat entitled “Dolemite’s Theme” produced by Nottz all the way through to the same producer’s “Bad Dreams”, with Busta detailing a bad night out on the lash, it blew me away completely.

Busta was always an incredible emcee, with more different and varied flows than anyone else in the game, but often his albums (although good) were let down by too much filler. He’d do 20 track albums with 10 incredible tracks on each that were clogged up in-between by unnecessary anti-matter. Even his first two solo albums which acted as my entrance to rap had many flaws despite my love for them.

Not this one though, Genesis was a keeper...

The album successfully straddled the mainstream and pleased purists at the same time, as for every commercially viable track there was an equally respectable underground song. To counteract Dr. Dre’s “Truck Volume” & “Break Ya Neck”, you had “Shut Em Down 2002” with Pete Rock. To counteract the two Neptunes songs, you had “Genesis” & “Make It Hurt” by the late J.Dilla, seemingly on his space-age tip.

In fact, the producer list reads like a best of hip-hop catalogue: Pete Rock, Nottz, J.Dilla, Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Diamond D, Yogi (of Bad Boy & Cru fame), The Neptunes, Dre’s right-hand man Melman, west coast legend Battlecat and also newcomer Michaelangelo who was getting shine on his beats at the time.

But it wasn’t about just the beats. Busta was at his finest, channelling his insane Leaders Of The New School style and fusing it seamlessly with mainstream appeal. Almost every track could have been a single due to the abundance of memorable hooks and choruses, yet that never compromised the overall quality and grounded sound.

Thursday, 19 August 2010

After a few days that you've been given to digest, listen, learn and fully appreciate the first installment of the UK Mixed Bag series, here we are back to hitchuwitdat (word to Lootpack) second one.

All the names are here, from Blak Twang & Rodney P, all the way back to Gunshot, London Posse & the Krispy 3. One or two well-known tracks, one or two rarities. All just to keep you on your toes, keep you listening to the best UK Hip Hop, and keep you from migrating to the land of the shite which unfortunately UK urban music is sliding into more and more of late. Here's that real material. Nod your head and download.

Sunday, 15 August 2010

So here we are, the first instalment of four compilations I've created over the weekend from various vinyl 12"s in my collection. Initially I ripped a lot of them onto mp3 just for personal use but I had honestly forgotten about how great some of these tracks are.

Its called a mixed bag for a reason for starters, with a huge spectrum of artists spanning from the early 90s all the way up to possibly about 2005, and on this first volume we have some big names and some small names all together on the same 18-track album.

You've got the northern panache of Asaviour and Jehst, the legendary Blak Twang, the veteran sounds of MCD over a Deckwrecka track and Huntkillbury Finn lying amongst the newer names of Foreign Beggars...not to mention some classics in there from London Posse, Karl Hinds & DJ MK.

Its a joy to listen to some of these tracks after such a long time, and even this site has took a small hiatus from posting UK songs recently admittedly. Most of that is due to there being a dearth in UK underground rap that I personally find as inspiring as that which was released 5-10 years ago, but hopefully the frontrunners like Sway and Dizzee can inspire and usher in a new breed that are fit to take the torch and fire it up.

Wednesday, 11 August 2010

His last album "Yes" seemed to drift under everyone's radar last year, which was a crying shame considering how good it was, but K-Os is back and this time travelling to San Diego to show his class by releasing "The Anchorman" mixtape.

Featuring some surprising guest-spots and a lot of his native Canadian talent (notably Saukrates), he has put this mixtape out for free, and its damn good stuff. Let that scotch go down down to your belly, punch a girl right in the babymaker and perform an urgent cannonball, because the Anchorman is here.

There has been a tiny expansion of the Northern Author empire for you to be aware of. We now have a tumblr blog at www.the13thduke.tumblr.com (name is a homage to the infamous Fast Show character) which will essentially house anything that comes into my brain that doesn't fit on here.

So, the Northern Author blog as you know it will stay the same, be updated regularly and include the cream of hip-hop from the UK and beyond, and will not change for the world, but if you haven't had your fill I'll be posting random pictures, music videos, musings, rants, and anything non-Northern Author over there.

Saturday, 7 August 2010

I've been wanting to do this for a while just for personal use as I've always been a huge fan not only of DJ Quik, but of most of his production he's done spanning his entire career. The jewel in the crown for me though, has always been his "Quik's Groove" series, which has popped up one at a time throughout his discography.

Its just an example of how beautiful hip-hop music can be, and how brilliant he is at his craft. A lot of people take hip-hop production for granted, play about with a Casio Keyboard and a drum machine and think theyre a musical prodigy, but only when you hear a true beatmaker like Quik ad how he works in his craft, do you realise how tough it is to be a producer of the highest calibre.

Not many people can stand next to DJ Quik and say they can even be considered as good a musicmaker as him, not just in the hip-hop genre, but in music in general, and his Quik's Groove series has always been the section where he can flex his skill and talent and show his true musicianship.

There have so far been seven Quik's Groove songs released through his career, spanning from the first edition in 1991, to his most recent one which was released as part of a greatest hits package back in 2002. Hopefully there's more to come, and with a new solo album reported to be in the works there's a good chance there will be. For now though, get yourself an ale or lager (or a Coors Light for the homosexual), chill in the garden, and enjoy 25-30 minutes of the most laidback, beautiful west coast hip-hop music you'll hear for quite some time...

Also, just for the sake of completion, there was another release called "Quikstrumental", which is also known as a Quik's Groove, that was part of his 2005 release "Trauma". Its slightly different as it features Jodeci on vocals, so doesn't necessarily fit in with the rest of the Quik's Groove series with it being non-instrumental. The youtube video below features this track so feel free to track it down and add it to your collection if needs be.

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

Legendary UK DJ Shortee Blitz has a new mix out on Bandcamp, and he's allowing it to be downloaded for free!

"The Standard Vol. 1" features a combination of established US and UK artists such as Busta Rhymes, Nottz & J.Cole with Ty, Mystro & Million Dan. Not only that but there is a little throwback section with the King of Pop and his bald mate, in Michael Jackson & Phil Collins.

Head over to his bandcamp page and check out the lovelies on show, and listen to one of the UK masters at work.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://shorteeblitz.bandcamp.com/album/the-standard-vol-1"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;BLITZ INTRO by SHORTEE BLITZ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Another old compilation, this one being another label sampler, was a joint venture from Necro & Ill Bill's respective labels Psycho+Logical Records & Uncle Howie Records. It features 20 full tracks from the various artists on both rosters, and is a superb showcase for the skills the emcees within possess.

Of course, Necro's career is a well-documented one which is both adored and maligned in equal measure. He and his associates have always traded rhymes using shock lyrics and content, which to some is off-putting, to others perfect entertainment.While you may or may not be a fan of "death rap" and its foremost purveyor, no-one can deny Necro's production ability. The guy can make astonishingly good music, and often not only acts as producer, but musician, playing a lot (at times all) of the instruments used on his records.

He recently came back with the album "Die!" which was released earlier this year on the Psycho+Logical imprint, and Ill Bill is due any minute with a new album called "Kill Devil Hills", an LP he shared with the legendary DJ Muggs who handles all production.

To gear you up for both of those albums, here is a time capsule and reminder of what they were doing 6 years ago, and what projects they were promoting.

The compilation isn't just Necro & Ill Bill, it features all emcees of Non-Phixion (Bill, Goretex & Sabac Red) and a few efforts from each of their respective solo efforts), former Arsonists frontman Q-Unique, Necro affiliate Mr. Hyde, and a few others such as Block McCloud & E.Dot.

Klashnekoff is back with a new single after the release of his "Back To The Sagas" LP which sees the Terra Firma emcee continuing his great form and discography. The new track features Wretch 32 and K9, seeing all three rappers laying down their own solilioquy over the melancholy downtempo beat.

Here's the download links for the two versions that K-Lash has been kind enough to send to us:

Saturday, 24 July 2010

Yeah, thats right bitches. Straight into the next volume. Ass to mouth if you will. In fact, please don't.

This is the fifth instalment of me uploading my compilations for the enjoyment of all and sundry, and possibly to the disgust of one or two. Well, fuck them two guys, they can spin on it.

This compilation includes a few UK tracks on it alongside the US classics, with a rather rare Skinnyman track from a LOOONG time ago featuring called "Fuck The A&R Department", and straight after that its "Summer Wine" by Teddy, which from the drop at the start of it I lifted from some form of DJ Excalibah mixtape back in the day. No idea which one though, sorry sir.

You've got the usuall flurry a great tracks from Black Moon & the Boot Camp Clik, an appearance from alt. rap's finest El-P, some Pete Rock remixes, one or two oldies and two west coast tracks to round off the whole album. Lots to get your teeth into, lots to enjoy.

Friday, 23 July 2010

Here we are with the fourth instalment of Northern Author's Mixtape series. This one was actually made in about 2002/3 but most of the songs on it are from years previous to that, making it almost entirely a 90s classic compilation.

I think I must have been in Sixth Form when I made this one, probably first year, when I was 16/17 years old, more than likely listening to it on the fabled discman on the bus trips into town. Back in the school days one of the best parts of the usual day was the trip to and from sixth form on the bus, just getting the opportunity to shut out the world and listen to "Shit Iz Real" by Black Moon...in Durham. To quote Chris Morris, it was disgusting bliss.

We've got Black Moon, Q-Tip, Big L, Craig Mack & Organized Konfusion alongside many more, with a turntablist cut in there featuring Rhettmatic, Cut Chemist, Kid Koala, Radar & ShortKut, and a few curveballs such as K-Os and the two Crooklyn Dodgers classics.

More mixtapes to come in the series, but from the download amount of the last few I can tell theyre being appreciated so I'll keep them coming, like a porn fluffer.Northern Author Mixtape Vol. IV

Thursday, 22 July 2010

Cipha Sounds recently teamed up with Complex. magazine to compile a list of his personal favourite and the greatest Tunnel Bangers of all time. The Tunnel being the infamous New York club night populated by many a rapper back in the day and scratched up and presented by Funkmaster Flew, Big Kap, Cipha Sounds & Doo Wop amongst many others.

Basically, its a 75-track run-down of some of the best hip-hop club tracks from the 90s. And its EXTREMELY nostalgic to a guy like me who despite being thousands of miles away from even having an opportunity to visit this club night, grew up on all of these specific tracks.I was born in '86. That makes me 24 years old right now. And even as a 24 year old (read: still young) I feel a little disenfranchised with what hip-hop club music has become. These days hip-hop club music is essentially just the pop tracks in the charts that have emcees guesting on them. It also doesnt help that I live in Leeds, and the closest thing you get here to hearing rap in the clubs is a Black Eyed Peas track. Horrific.

Anyway, with me being 24, I was about 13-16 years old when a lot of the music included on this list was out, and around that time I was learning how to dig and learning/understanding hip-hop music more and more by going back to older eras and just listening to everything. So I know every single song on this list from when I was a young teenager. Strange thing is, for the most part I've not actually heard a lot of these tracks or pulled them out from my vinyl/CD collection since I was a teenager either, so when I stumbled across this list I found it not only a breath of fresh air and an opportunity to listen to great music, but a trip back to what I would call a happier time in hip-hop when tracks and albums rarely pandered to the 8 year old suburban girl, and songs were just made freely with no sales pitch, other than it being great music.

Enjoy this list as I have, and tut and shake your head like an old man that we went from these tunnel bangers to....Drake. Uggggh. Just the name alone makes me want to gag*.

BUT....keep it on the hush, I've been able to find an actual download someone has compiled with every single one of the 75 tracks included, so you can get them all on your iPod and enjoy the 90s again and again...until its 2040 and you're dead. By the way, I have no idea who compiled this props go to the holy ghost, baby jesus, Paul Dickov, or whoever you want to commend for it.

Sunday, 18 July 2010

Diplo has been running things in the more, shall we say, "trendy" circles of hip-hop and urban music over the past 5 years, with his production success behind scenester's goddess MIA and his joint-venture with UK producer Switch as reggae-and-machine-gun-toting toaster Major Lazer being the crowning achievements.

Now Diplo has branched out into A&R responsibilities, running his own label Mad Decent, which is shaping up to have quite a busy 2010. Amongst running his own music through the label, Diplo has turned to the UK shores for some of his talent.This is when Hackney-based producer Mumdance comes into the equation. This "Different Circles" mixtape is a precursor to his upcoming EP, as outlined in the Mumdance press statement below:

Mumdance's Different Circles mixtape is a mission statement confirming his kaleidoscopic tastes. With 17 original productions spanning ethnic tinged drunk funk woven into 1980's synth-pop, Balearic-tinged minimal techno, Baltimore gutter colliding with calypso, tribal guarachero & his very own home grown genre, 'kerplunk'. Collated as a precursor to his Forthcoming "Mum Decent EP" on Mad Decent (to be released August 23rd) as well as showcasing a host of other releases on Trouble & Bass, No Hats No Hoods, and Big Dada, this is a definitive guide to whats next. Different Circles features vocals from Esser, Trim, Jammer, Mc Sparks & Kie, Badness & Boy Better Know, as well as collaborations with Drums of Death, Shortstuff & Brackles, Toy Selectah & AC Slater.

And thats not it. If you're feeling that Mumdance release, back in January he put together another mixtape and released it through the Mad Decent blog page and his very own Myspace page called "Dadrock Mixtape". Link below...and you actually get a tracklist for that one (aren't you a lucky bugger)!

To quote the Immortal Clay Davis, "Shiiiiiiieeeeet", let's drop something else for you while you're here. Staying with the Mad Decent theme, Diple and Switch dropped a Major Lazer Summer Mix for your aural pleasure, just in time for the Sun to come out and the holidays to begin. Its 30 minutes of Lazer-based remixes, rejigs and new tracks.

Wednesday, 14 July 2010

Okay, so the World Cup didnt quite go to plan for us English folk. Wayne Rooney decided to impersonate the great double act of Hamilton Ricard & Mikkel Beck for his whole time in South Africa, while the rest of the team fared about as well as a BNP member at Notts Carnival. It was awful.

At least we still have July and August's warmth to look forward to (or relative warmth here in Britain, as we consider simply the lack of rain to be a great day) and what better way to spend these summer days and nights than by getting the barbecues at the ready, buying in some unspecified meat and some fine ales and chilling out to some great music.

Well, luckily it wasn't just me who thought that, the guys at Undrcrwn did too. But unlike me, who sat about with my hands down my pants watching violent pornography and listening to Brotha Lynch Hung in a dark room WAITING for someone to give me a chance to see the sunlight, these guys actually did something about it and got Mick Boogie & DJ Jazzy Jeff to put together a soundtrack to the summer for one and all....and then release it for free!

So get them bangers on the grill, burn them till they look like bird shit, and listen to some wicked tracks from two of the finest DJs around.

Okay, so I'm sure a lot of people have heard about Wiley's public menstruation that took place recently online, during which he sacked his manager on twitter then proceeded to leak more product than my johnny thompson at a urinal after a drinking contest. Well, the guys at Grime Forum managed to catch and share all of this piss with their members (of which I'm definitely not one, as for the most part I think Grime smells like cat shit to Hip-Hop's Hugo Boss).

As I said, I'm not the biggest Grime fan, but Wiley is an artist who for the most part has set himself apart from the rest of the scene, both dominating and leading it, and also temporarily leaving it behind at times.

His albums are often interesting, if rarely great, and I respect any artist with the testiculars to leak this amount of his hard work to his fans for free. Especially an established artist. I've not actually checked a lot of these links, so some may have been taken down and some may have been reuploaded, but there are links aplenty so if you're a fan of the influential emcee, enjoy the spoils and bask in his online tantrum's outcome.

For more files, if anymore DO get leaked, go over to the Grime Forum as they will continue to update.

Classic Diggin In The Crates affiliate and one half of Show & AG, er, the second half (AG that is) has lovingly made his own tribute to the legend that is James Yancey AKA Jay Dee AKA Dilla with a brand new mixtape "Dunkin Donuts".

Props to AG himself for leaking it on twitter and enjoy the incredible Donuts album in a completely new light with a superb emcee acting as your navigator.

Fresh off the back of his LP with our very own Skit Slam (who has collaborated extensively with UK rap legends Phi-Life Cypher) as Everliven Sound, Cymarshall Law is due to drop a new solo LP on his new label.

The emcee is going from strength to strength right now, and I have to admit I gave Freedom II (his Everliven Sound album) a full run through and it is actually superb. Great rhymes and superb beats by producer crew The Beatniks.

Well, for his solo LP he'll be backed up by the same production team and its sure to be another great release.

Also, to wet your whistle and give you the vinegar strokes thinking of his Everliven LP, CyMarshall was kind enough to give away for free a three-track smapler of his collaboration with Skit Slam on his Bandcamp site:

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://cymarshalllaw.bandcamp.com/album/freedom-2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Get Up Stand Up by Cymarshall Law&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Also, over time he's released quite a lot of material and mixtapes that may pique your interest on there, so have a rummage about in his gantry and come out with some gems at http://www.cymarshalllaw.bandcamp.com

Tuesday, 13 July 2010

From the back catalogue of UK rap mag HHC, there have been a great number of decent freebies and CDs they gave away (before the magazine went downhill rapidly in quality then gave up entirely), and this is just one of them.

US record label Nature Sounds did and still does boast a great roster of talent from Masta Killa to Tragedy Khadafi to Vordul Mega of Cannibal Ox. This compilation is a showcase of their roster from the inception of their label and it has hits from subsequently great releases.

One of my favourite DJs, DJ Revolution, does a great job on the cuts and mixes, with his inimitable scratch sound prevalent throughout, and it gives the album a great continuity and feel.

Here we go with the third instalment of our compilations of old and new hip-hop that I made throughout my life. This one comes from about 2005 or something I think, but features songs from as early as 1993 right up to 2005. Enjoy the selection....Northern Author Mixtape Vol. III

Here we go! Finally I'm back with my proverbial shit together and ready to throw an all manner of stuff in your faces like a climaxing pornstar.

First up, we have what will more than likely be one of the best mixtapes of 2010 by one quarter of UK rap supergroup Orphans Of Cush, Cyrus Malachi.

The mixtape is presented by No Cure Records and Triple Darkness, who have took over the UK rap scene recently through producers Chemo and Endemic amongst others flooding the market with truly great, spectacularly hard beats and no-nonsense rhymes.

The mixtape is Cyrus featuring partner-in-crime Melanin 9, and mixed by DMC World Champs DJ Switch & DJ Furious P, and is a prelude to his debut solo album “Ancient Future” (which is to be released in the autumn of this year) and brings harrowing street tales from his life and experiences growing up in Hackney.

Enjoy, and support. If you like the mixtape, please buy a hard copy from the sites and links below and help a great emcee get his shine.